Another day...few days...another day's challenge completed. Thanks for sailorraven34 for the lovely review. I appreciate the feedback. And thanks to all who read and follow.
Day 8: Shopping
Pepper ended the call, staring at her phone. In the silence, Phil looked up, waiting for her to speak. His concern grew as the moment stretched out.
"Everything alright?" he finally asked.
She finally looked up at him and frowned. "Yeah. Everything's fine." She considered. "I think."
"You think?"
With a slow nod, she put the phone down. "That was Maria."
"She and Nick are down in Central America or South America right now, aren't they?"
"I'm not sure. She didn't say," the blonde responded. "She said they were going shopping."
"Knowing her, I'm sure she was thrilled about that," Phil chuckled.
Pepper looked at him. "Actually, that's what's so confusing. She did sound excited."
"About shopping?" the agent looked puzzled.. "You must have misunderstood. She couldn't have said 'shopping.' 'Shipping' maybe?"
"What's that?"
"Or 'shooting.' That makes a whole lot more sense."
"It would," she nodded, "But I'm positive she said 'shopping.'" Her eyes widened. "Ring shopping, maybe?" she asked, holding up her hand to indicate her wedding and engagement rings.
Phil stared at her. "I don't know."
XOXOXOX
Nick smiled down at Maria, stroking the hand that she had threaded through his arm. She responded with a dazzling smile of her own. He leaned down to kiss her lightly, then spoke sternly.
"Keep in mind. I want to get you something nice, but..."
"You don't want to overpay," she finished.
"Exactly."
With a nod, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her poker face was firmly in place.
Side by side, they entered the building, scanning the scene laid out before them. They strolled along, occasionally stopping to casually glance at this or that.
"Looking for something for the lady?" one merchant asked. Before they could reply, he picked up an item from his display and held it out for their examination. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He slipped it into her hand. "What do you think?" he asked, looking from one to the other.
Maria examined it, holding it out for Nick's opinion as well. He took it, holding it up to make his own examination, then shrugged and handed it back to her.
She returned it to the merchant, telling him that they were still looking.
They continued browsing, occasionally stopping to look at a particular piece, ask questions, and listen to the merchants extol the virtues of their products.
"It may look a little plain," one man explained, "But it's fully customizable." He flipped open his tablet and turned it towards them. "You have your choice of metals. Does the lady like platinum?"
She shrugged. "Sure. Platinum is always nice."
"You can choose from a variety of stones, different sizes, colors, or shapes."
The screen flashed several different samples.
"Diamonds? Or something with a bit more color? Rubies?"
He was waiting for a response. "Diamonds, maybe. And emeralds. Princess cut."
She nodded at the graphic he showed.
"We can engrave any of numerous different designs or phrases or something or your own design."
They smiled and thanked him for his time before continuing their search.
"A little bit too cutesy," she told Nick quietly. He nodded agreement.
Another merchant presented them with a matching his & hers set. Again, they just nodded politely and walked away. Maria rolled her eyes.
Finally, after a long discussion over a late lunch, the made a decision and returned to the vendor of their choice. After some serious negotiating, they came to an agreement and made arrangements for payment and for delivery of their purchase, then headed for the exit.
"You're happy?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist.
"Absolutely," she smiled up at him. "It's perfect. I can't wait to show it off."
"But you're still thinking about the other one, aren't you?"
"No," she protested. "I got what I wanted."
He started at her, eyebrow lifting slightly.
"Okay. Maybe a little," she admitted. "It's nice, but it's much too big and gaudy. I doubt I would get much use out of it and I would have to figure out where and how to store it." She shook her head and stretched up to kiss him soundly. "I think we made the right choice. Beautiful. Practical."
He pulled her close and returned her kiss. "Actually, I was thinking."
She watched him, waiting for him to continue.
"Why should you have to choose?"
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.
Looking back towards the building they had just left, he inclined his head towards the sign over the door. "It's not every day I get to take the woman I love shopping at an International Arms Show. If she wants a handgun AND a bazooka, she's going to get a bazooka to go with her new handgun."
"Even though I don't really need one?"
"Who knows? There's a chance you might need it some day. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Besides, even if you don't NEED something, it can sure be fun."
She smiled broadly. "You're so good to me."
"May even pick up a couple of those dart guns you were eying, too," he added.
"You are so getting lucky tonight," she whispered.
"I'm always lucky," he replied.
And that's their shopping trip. I hope folks are still reading and enjoying. I'd love to hear from you.
